2016 Porsche 911 Carrera Spy Shots

The current Porsche 911, the Type 991, made its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show and hit the market shortly after as a 2012 model. That means we’re approaching the halfway point in the car’s life cycle, and right on cue prototypes for an updated version, the Type 991.2, have been spotted.

These photos show the basic Carrera (or Carrera S) but prototypes for updated versions of the Carrera Cabriolet and Turbo have also been spotted in the past. We're also expecting the launch of a new Carrera GTS to coincide with the arrival of this facelift, and possibly even a new 911 Targa GTS model.

The front of the updated 911 is characterized by revised daytime running lights and new intakes in the bumper, possibly with an active grille-style function to help save fuel. At the rear we can see some new intakes at the sides of the bumper. The existing Carrera and Carrera S don’t feature these, suggesting there may be some serious updates under the hood as part of this facelift.

Some have suggested that a smaller, turbocharged engine will be fitted to the Carrera models instead of the current naturally aspirated units. Porsche is working on a new four-cylinder engine, but the 911 is expected to stick to six-cylinder mills for the foreseeable future.

We’ll update the post once more details emerge. Right now, expect the updated 911 to be introduced initially in Carrera and Carrera S trim towards the end of next year, most likely as 2016 models. Before their arrival, we will be treated with a new GT3 RS, which has been delayed but should still arrive this year.